Clemens Krauss (1893-1954) was born in
Vienna. His
mother, Clementina, was a dancer, singer and actress; it is not known just who
his father was but it was rumoured to be the Archbishop of Vienna, perhaps
even the Emperor Franz
Josef. When only 9, his singing in a choir was praised by no
less than Gustav Mahler. After varied musical studies including counterpoint
as well as conducting, he set his goal on the Vienna Opera and Vienna Philharmonic.
His conducting
career began in the provinces, starting in Brno, where he learned repertory. He
came to the attention of Richard Strauss, co-director of the Vienna State Opera, who
invited him to Vienna on short notice to conduct Das Rheingold, Die Walküre
and
Der
Rosenkavalier. Soon after this the 28-year old conductor was offered
a staff conducting position in Vienna, the beginning of his long and lustrous
association with
the famed composer/conductor. In 1929 Krauss was appointed music
director of
the Vienna State Opera. Krauss continued working with Strauss and became
the composer's artistic
confidant, consultant, and later, librettist for Capriccio. He premiered Friedenstag, Arabella, Die Liebe der Danae and Capriccio,
consulting
with
Strauss on changes in other operas as well. In 1934 Krauss accepted leadership
of the Berlin State Opera and by doing so was accused of supporting the Nazi
regime. Signed for a decade, he stayed less than two years, moving to
Munich where he presented almost all of Strauss' operas. Krauss wanted to
collaborate again with Strauss on another opera, suggesting the subject of Noah's
Flood, which
never came to fruition

In 1953 Krauss enjoyed a triumphant series of performances at
Bayreuth,
performing the Ring and Parsifal. A complete Ring recorded live at the
1953 Festival is available on Laudis (LCD 3 4002/5) with a cast that could not
be equaled today including Astrid Varnay {Brunnhilde}, Ramon Vinay/Wolfgang
Windgassen {Siegfried}, and Hans Hotter {Wotan}. Krauss's Parsifal
from the same Festival also is available on Rodolphe (RPC 32516.17) also with
an all-star cast (George London, Josef Greindl, Ludwig Weber, Ramon Vinay,
Martha M–dl). Krauss was offered
leadership of the Vienna State Opera, accepted it, but at the last moment Karl
B–hm was selected because a rich industrialist friend of
his threatened to
withdraw financial support for the VSO unless B–hm was given the job. There was
talk
of Decca/London recording a complete Ring cycle (if that had happened would the
famous Solti recording ever have existed?), as well as a film of DieFledermaus.
However, the 61-year old Krauss died of heart failure on tour in Mexico City
in
May 1954.

Krauss always had a warm association with
the Vienna Philharmonic.
In the
early days of LP Decca recorded a series of Strauss symphonic works for the new
medium. All of these, recorded from 1950/3 are included on the four Testament
CDs, as well as excerpts from his famous 1954 recording of Salome. These
performances by a famous Strauss interpreter of the past are welcome, but only
a
few are exceptional. Heldenleben is decidedly unheroic; sample the
opening few minutes and it is obvious this is no Mengelberg,Toscanini or Reiner
on the
podium. For some reason producers have divided Heldenleben into
nine tracks instead of the usual six (even though the score itself has no scenario
of
any kindit is rather understood that there are six, which are tracked
on other recordings). In 1992 London issued this Heldenleben
(along with Don Juan, Alsosprach Zarathustra and Don Quixote,
on two CDs), long out of the catalog, but there it had the usual six track
identification.

Krauss ignores Strauss's markings for the
opening three trumpet statements
in Zarathustra; they are to be consecutively louderbut then most
other conductors do too including the composer in his 1942 VPO recording available
on
Music & Arts 10572. Don Quixote is exquisitely performed,
with Pierre
Fournier in top form; the Bourgeois Gentilhomme Suite offers
the loving
interplay of the VPO's woodwinds and strings. Sinfonia Domestica also
is
successful, although it doesn't march the directness and
intensity of Eugene Ormandy's Philadelphia recording made 15 years
earlier. Aus Italien, Strauss's affectionate look at Italy ending
with the
rousing "Tarantella" based on the Neapolitan folk song "Funiculì,
Funiculà also seems to bring out the best in Krauss. Frederick
Stock and the Chicago Symphony made arecording of the second
movement, "On
the
Shores of Sorrento," A Westminster recording with Henry Swoboda, also
made
in
Vienna, was the only other recording of the complete work.

The most impressive orchestral performance of all is the vibrant
Till Eulenspiegel which is dynamic to the extreme, surely one of the
most exciting versions every recorded. It was rumored some time ago that London/Decca
would
issue on CD the famous 1954 recording of Salome with Krauss and a strong cast headed by
Christl Goltz, with Julius Patzak as Herod and Margareta Kenney as Herodias; it
never happened, but at least we have these excerpts beginning when Herod
asks Salome to dance for him, the "Dance of the Seven Veils," and picking
up the closing scene as Salome leans over the cistern awaiting
her prize. Strauss praised Goltz's interpretation, but here she is heard
too late in her career. To hear her in her best vocal state, listen to the 1948
recording on
Berlin Classics (but avoid the 1963 stereo recording). She is a superb
actress, has an appropriate youthful sound, but hardness and effortful singing
are all too present in this 1954 recording.

All of these sessions were produced
by Victor Olof with balance engineers
Cyril Windebank and Gill Went. When first issued in the early to mid-50s
they sounded quite good, but in the harsh reality of today's exposÈ of deficiencies
of earlier recordings it is evident that from a technical standpoint these recordings
are
lacking. There is a marked absence
of bass, and virtually no resonance resulting in steely strings. Testament's
transfers have tamed much of this; still most listeners probably will feel the
highs are overly sharp. These new transfers are superior to London's 1992
issues. At the same time these recordings were made Decca had
available the famous Kenneth Wilkinson. One wonders what these recordings would
have sounded like had "Wilkie" been the engineer.